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MM, Laguna shift to MECQ
By Willie Casas and Macon Ramos-Araneta
M
ETRO Manila and Laguna will shift to the less stringent Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) starting Aug. 21 until the end of the month, but there will still be no dinein, al fresco dining, beauty salons, barbershops, nail spas and religious services allowed, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said. Roque said the new lockdown classification was approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force Thursday evening, hours after the Department of Health reported 14,895 new COVID-19 cases yesterday – the second highest number of cases in a day since the pandemic started.
IATF keeps ban on dine-in, salons
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CURFEW VIOLATORS. At least 28 Manila residents, including 8 minors
undergo profiling by the Manila Police District’s Station 11 while they are temporarily detained at a covered court in Binondo, Manila on Thursday midnight for violating the curfew hours imposed under the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila. According to PNP chief Guillermo Eleazar, 9,000 protocol violators are accosted daily in the NCR since the reimposition of ECQ to curb the spread of COVID-19 Norman Cruz VOL. XXXV • NO. 186 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Auditors flag DOH anew: P1m too much for virtual food catering P240-b COVID kitty included in 2022 budget By Rio N. Araja, Willie Casas, Vito Barcelo, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta
THE Commission on Audit (COA) has called the attention of the Department of Health (DOH) regional offices for “irregular, unnecessary, and excessive” expenditures of more than P557 million, including P1.08 million for catering services for virtual meetings. The catering expenses incurred by the Region 6 Center for Health Development were “not essential” to the conduct of activities, COA said, adding that those who took part in the virtual meetings were just at their workplaces while performing their usual functions. The audit agency also flagged as an irregular expenditure the P2.11 million worth of hazard pay given to personnel of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Region 7, who did not physically report to work, and some of whom Next page
1,791,003 14,895
111,720
30,881
258
1,648,402
8,248
(As of 4 PM, AUGUST 19)
By Vito Barcelo and Willie Casas THE government will need over P240 billion for its COVID-19 response in its proposed P5 trillion national budget for 2022, Malacanang said. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said this amount would be needed to fight the pandemic, based on preliminary data as of Aug. 19, but added that the amount was just not yet final. “This is what was in the National Expenditure Plan. But the Congress can, of course, change it. They can add to it, or they can deduct,” he said in a virtual press briefing. Next page
STATE insurer Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) said Thursday it was looking into instances of “upcasing” committed by hospitals and healthcare providers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. PhilHealth spokesperson Shirley Do-
By Rio N. Araja
3.7m seniors fully vaxxed but still short of target
By Willie Casas and Joel E. Zurbano
ALMOST half of the elderly population in the country have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, four months after vaccination of this priority group began, the Department of Health said Thursday. As of Wednesday, Aug. 18, some 3.77
PhilHealth probes ‘upcasing’ practice of hospitals, providers By Willie Casas
HMDF also draws red flag over car plan
WAITLISTED. Pregnant women wait at the makeshift triage of Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Medical for an interview on Thursday, August 19, 2021. About 30 pregnant patients are infected with the COVID-19 virus while 40 percent of their employees test positive with COVID-19 and are now in the isolation room of the hospital, according to Fabella Memorial Medical union president Dr. Margaritas Esquivel. Danny Pata
mingo said upcasing happens when a person confined in a hospital is tagged as a COVID-19 case to get larger reimbursements from the state health insurer. “Sometimes it’s just cough and cold and yet they report it as COVID to get higher reimbursements from PhilHealth,” she said in a television interview.
million senior citizens, accounting for 45.67 percent of the Philippines’ elderly population, have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje revealed during an online briefing. “Our Janssen vaccines are a big help,” she said, referring to Johnson and Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccines. Cabotaje said 3.2 million others or
38.81 percent were partially vaccinated. The World Health Organization had alerted the Philippines late last month regarding its “sluggish COVID-19 vaccination rate among senior citizens in some LGUs.” “The slow rollout among senior citizens leaves the Philippines vulnerable to its hospitals being overwhelmed due
Evacuation bid of 90 Pinoy in Kabul fails By Rey Requejo
POLICE seized more than P170,000 worth of shabu, a hand grenade and a gun from a 27-year-old man who they initially accosted for not wearing a face mask in Taguig City. Southern Police District director B/Gen. Jimili Macaraeg said the suspect Jamoran Cayagcag is now detained at the Taguig City Police Station custodial facility and will be
FLIGHT cancellations have hampered government efforts to evacuate the remaining 90 Filipinos in Afghanistan, which is now under the control of the militant Taliban group, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday. In a statement, the DFA said it continues to exhaust all avenues for repatriation after two unsuccessful attempts. “Last night, two attempts were made to evacuate Filipinos via New Delhi and Islamabad. However these were unsuccessful due to cancellation of all commercial flights,” department said. “As experienced by the groups last night, access to and even within the airport is very difficult and if able to check in, this is still no
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Man unmasked as drug suspect, yields shabu By Joel E. Zurbano
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THE Commission on Audit has flagged Pag-IBIG Fund’s Home Mutual Development Fund for the procurement of 21 cars for its officers last year without the approval from the Office of the President. In its 2020 audit report, COA said Pag-IBIG disbursed P36.355 million in line with its 2015 car plan. “This is composed of the P34.298 million cost of the 21 vehicles purchased for its officers and other expenses, specifically repairs and maintenance, insur-
SPECIAL REPORT
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